personalized shirts: Fans puts their shirts on Boro!

Aug 8 2006
By Si?N Powell


BORO fans have been flocking to buy the Nuneaton football club's new shirt ready for Saturday's start to the season.

Club bosses are hoping the town's side can build on last year's bumper season for what should be the team's last season at their Manor Park home.

The new blue and white striped personalized shirt - sponsored by Stuart Plumbing and Heating Supplies - has been flying out of the club shop at the ground, ready for this weekend's home game against Workington.

Dave Riche, sales manager at the club, said: "Shirt sales have been really good, there's been a lot of demand for the blue and white stripes - the fans never wanted them to go.

"People do seem to like the shirt, it's a very lightweight shirt this year, the lightest spec of shirt, the same as they wear in Italy. It's very good quality and made by Sport Italia who do Derby and Middlesbrough."

Mr Riche said the new yellow and blue away kit was "a bit retro" and reminded him of the Crystal Palace shirts of the late 1970s.

The squad will wear the away kit for the first time when they take on Worcester City away on Monday.

Season ticket sales have also rocketed since the club's FA Cup campaign last year, in which the Conference North side held Premiership team Middlesbrough to a draw in the home-leg of their third round clash.

The team was eventually defeated by their Boro namesakes when they travelled to the Riverside Stadium a week later.

Mr Riche added: "When you can take 5,000 fans away with you on a Tuesday night you know your season tickets will go up.

"The turnout was almost 2,000 people by the time the season finished, hopefully the gate on Saturday, the first match of the season, will be considerable. I would like to try to push 2,000 if we can for the Workington game."

The club has had a promising pre-season, with the side losing just one of its matches - and Boro have also beaten big name local rivals, Coventry City.

Mr Riche added: "Really we are up there among the favourites, we've got to be going for promotion."